Buthidaung, Arakan State (Rohingya Vision) – Myanmar’s authority arrested several innocent (Rohingya) women Buthidaung Township on Monday as some of their family members were absent for the re-conducting prejudicial census, whereas many Rohingyas absent during the conduct were also delisted from the family registration list, local sources said.

A group of 25 Border Guard Police (BGP) arrested and publicly harassed at least 18 Rohingya women in ‘Nga Ran Chaung’ village in the township in order to force their family members to come up for the so-called census.

The family members of fourteen women had to ultimately be present before the authority for taking part in the census, which they, otherwise, were not willing to do it because it gives them an image of ‘Illegal Immigrants’ on their own home land. The remaining four innocent women whose family members were not able to be present in time were arrested, hand-cuffed and humiliated in public; and have been detained since then.

“Eighteen innocent women were arrested in Nga Ran Chaung because their family members absent for the so-called census. Then, they were taken into the premise of the Madarasa (Religious School) where the MaKaPha (Anti-Illegal Immigrations Department which is responsible for conducting the census among the Rohingyas) and publicly harassed. The four of them were taken into detention as their family members were late in coming up for the census.

On the way to the police station, the village administrator, U Kaung Sein, a Rakhine member of 969 extremist groups, abused and humiliated the women using vulgar languages. Besides, he also threatened the women that the women would be imprisoned for four years each.

The victim women are:

Daw Zainab Khatun (spouse of) U Abdu Shukkor, 48

Daw Laila (spouse of) U Sayed Noor, 40

Ma Senu Wara (daughter of) Hamid Hussein (Teenager)

Ma Halidah (daughter of) Inyat Ullah (in early 20s)

These all women are from Quarter 9 of ‘Nga Ran Chaung’ village tract. Besides, the above-mentioned administrator of the village often extorts money from the villagers for no reasons. His relatives also harass the (Rohingya) villagers” said a local Rohingya on the condition of anonymity.

Furthermore, the Border Guard Police dragged out many Rohingyas from their homes in Quarter 7, 8 and 9 respectively of the ‘Nga Ran Chaung’ village tract and forced them to go through the discriminatory census process at gun-points. And also some Rohingyas were arbitrarily delisted from the family registration list.

“There are some extended families in Nga Ran Chaung that have not been allowed to have separate family registration lists by the former Border Security Force called NaSaKa. During the raid by the BGP to carry out the operation, some family members were absent. So, they were delisted making them illegal on their own land.

Two of the families that became prey to the injustices are Mohammed Ayub’s Family and Sultan Ahmed’s.

And such arbitrary action by the BGP is against the rule and instruction by the higher authority.”